Afzal Guru

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT AFZAL GURU - PAGE 2

SRINAGAR: In the aftermath of execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru , Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today appealed for calm and asked people not allow those with vested interests to exploit the situation. "I understand there is a certain degree of angst as a result of execution. I also understand there are among us those who would like to exploit the situation for their own personal and political advantage thereby putting the people of the state to more inconvenience," Omar said in a brief interaction with reporters.

NEW DELHI: As the home ministry continues to insist on reviewing mercy petitions of those who are on death row one-by-one before sending it to President Pratibha Patil for her final view, Opposition BJP on Monday pitched for quick hanging of Afzal Guru , who has been convicted for the 2001 Parliament attack case. "The government should act on giving punishment to the convicts so that not only the family members of the attack victims, but also the entire country can get relief.

NEW DELHI: AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Monday amended his 'Afzal Guru must be hanged' statement by saying that his "party has no reason to either support or oppose the capital punishment," given to the prime accused in the Parliament attack case. Mr Singh, who has been invoking 'Hindu terror' ? he had first raised the issue during the run up to the Gujarat election and contributed in making terrorism the main issue ? had on Sunday told a press conference in Bhopal that Afzal should be hanged.

SOPORE: Still grappling with the trauma of his sudden execution, the family of Afzal Guru is planning to move Supreme Court so that no other family is denied the right to meet their loved one before being hanged. "We cannot bring back Afzal who met such a cruel fate. The authorities were insensitive and did not allow him to meet his family one last time. But perhaps we can ensure that no other family undergoes the same trauma," says Aijaz Guru, elder brother of Parliament attack convict Afzal, who was hanged on February nine.

JAIPUR: People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) today condemned the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and alleged that there were "political considerations" behind the step. "The tearing hurry with which Afzal Guru was hanged, accompanied by the flouting of all established norms by not giving his family their legal right to meet him before taking him to the gallows, indicates that there were political considerations behind taking this step," an official statement issued here said.

SRINAGAR: Amid calls for execution of 2001 Parliament attack death row convict Afzal Guru after the hanging of Ajmal Kasab yesterday, separatist JKLF today warned of "disastrous consequences" if the Centre takes any "wrong decision" about him. "If the Indian state repeats its mistake (of hanging JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat ) and takes any wrong decision about Mohammad Afzal Guru , it will have disastrous consequences for the whole region," JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a statement here.

MUMBAI: An alert has been sounded and extensive security measures were taken across the metropolis by city police in the wake of hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru in the national capital, police said today. All the police stations in the city were asked to remain alert even as the patrolling has been intensified. "Deputy Police Commissioners have been instructed to remain present in their areas," they said. Police presence was increased in the sensitive and minority-dominated areas, they said, adding that special forces like Quick Response Teams , Riot Control Units and Bomb Detection and Disposal squads were put on alert.

ALIGARH: Kashmiri-origin students today held a silent march at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus to protest against the country's criminal justice system following the hanging of Afzal Guru in the Parliament attack case. Over 100 protesters of the Aligarh Activists' Society took part in the march and distributed a printed statement titled "Justice Hanged". "Afzal Guru was being tried for one of the most serious crimes in the country but had no real legal representation and the state had no witnesses that could directly implicate him in the crime," the statement said.

SRINAGAR: Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq today said the execution of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru was a " tragic incident " for the family and entire Kashmir. "On the one hand, the secret execution of Guru has unveiled the true face of Indian democracy, while on the other it has strengthened the resolve and commitment of Kashmiri nation to carry on with the struggle," he said. The Mirwaiz along with other separatist leaders visited Guru's family today.

NEW DELHI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today welcomed the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru . "Better late than never," Modi posted on microblogging site Twitter after the Centre announced that Guru was hanged at Tihar Jail here this morning. Guru, a Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, was convicted of conspiracy in the December 2001 attack on Parliament and was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in 2004. After the hanging of Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab , main opposition BJP had stepped up its demands for speedy execution of Guru.